Taunton’s License Commission voted to approve an alcoholic beverages license for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Taunton Casino Welcome Center, clearing the way for the tribe to serve alcohol at their gaming facility located at 1 O’Connell Way in Taunton.
The license covers both the serving of alcohol at special events and during the regular operations of the welcome center, representatives from the tribe said at the License Commission meeting on Wednesday, July 9.
“It is primarily indoors. There’s an outdoor location as well,” Jim Heffernan, a lawyer for the tribe, said at the meeting.
Representatives for the tribe who spoke at the meeting declined to answer questions from the Gazette after the meeting. Here’s what we know about the tribe’s plans to sell alcohol at the welcome center.
License application describes three locations for serving alcohol
According to representatives for the tribe who spoke at the July 9 meeting, the application for the license described three locations where alcohol could be served.
The Gazette submitted a public records request for a copy of the application but has not yet received a response.
“It’s three sections,” Attorney Jim Heffernan explained at the meeting. “One is a self service refrigerator glass area that’s akin to what you might see at TD garden or other areas, where they’re starting to do self service with employees checking IDs and making sure everyone is compliant. The second is a self service vending area as well, and the third is off the food trucks outside.”
“It’s a fenced off area. There will be food trucks there,” Heffernan added. “Those are not all the time, those are during key events.”
However, representatives said alcohol might not be served at the third location, which is located outside of the facility. The representatives said that, at least initially, the third outside location might just be where patrons can drink alcohol obtained inside the facility but that the third location would not sell alcohol.
“At this point, we’re doing things on demand,” said Daniel Nuey, a member of the board of directors of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Gaming Authority. “It depends on the traffic that comes in, it depends on demand, so it might be something that we add.”
Initially, Nuey explained, “all alcohol has to be purchased inside where people are carded before they go in.” Alcohol obtained inside the facility could then be taken outside to a designated area.
Alcohol to be served during casino operations
Currently, the welcome center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
A representative for the tribe said the welcome center will start serving alcohol.
“Anybody who plays will be served drinks, and anybody who is not playing will have to pay,” Nuey said at the meeting.
Security plans?
Nuey said at the meeting that “we’ll have security in place” at the welcome center.
The Gazette asked city officials if there is any information on the number of police officers that would be monitoring the serving of alcohol at the Welcome Center, but has not yet received a reply.
